Getting out of tricky situations isn't easy. But along the way, I get to hang out with princesses (they never wear their crowns), camel jockeys (literally!) and famous (well at least quasi-famous) people...all for the love of media.

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Sunday, January 8, 2017

Eavesdropping at the 2017 Golden Globes

Okay, so where am I?

Before I get to that, allow me to go back to my Café Squatters story for just a minute and talk about
this woman on the left. The New York style work area table at Starbucks meant to house 8-10 people was relatively full as I try feverishly to finish this column after retouching hundreds of photos for my Golden Globes assignment. There was an empty spot, so I asked her if that seat was taken. Her reply was that she was using the seat and spot...for a foot rest. It takes all kinds these days.

So know you know that I am (or was) at the Beverly Hilton on the red carpet basking in the wacky opulence known as the Golden Globes. Most of you already know that La La Land won Best Motion Picture and Brad Pitt made a surprise n stage appearance on stage to the delight of the crowd. But, as you know, all of the real fun happens off camera, including Justin Timberlake making sure the drinks were flowing and Kurt Russell and Jeff Bridges exchanging phone numbers.

On the carpet, Justin Timberlake holds wife Jessica Biel’s hand while she chats with with Amy Adams’ husband, Darren Le Gallo. Designer Tom Ford hugs Timberlake who tells him: "The only reason I ever look nice is I learned to dress from you." Meanwhile Timberland tries to make an exit inside. "Find us!" Biel tells Le Gallo as they depart

The Golden Ticket.

Laurence Fishburne tries to get past security and then notices he doesn’t have his ticket. He calls someone on his phone, in a mock (?) panic "I have no idea where my ticket is or is supposed to be."

Kerry Washington introduces her husband, Nnamdi Asomugha, to Stranger Things' Millie Bobby Brown. "I told you about him at the party," Washington tells Brown. "He's such a big fan of yours!"

One half of Hollywood's most beautiful couple, Blake Lively, cheers for the other half, Ryan Reynolds as he stands from the table to present the night's first award. He accidentally knocks into her updo, but it doesn't moved. She's a goddess, that's why.

Justin Timberlake pours a glass of vino for everyone at his table then offers the bottle to Felicity Jones. Meanwhile, as his wife and best actress nominee Annette Bening stands from the table, Warren Beatty kisses her cheek and says, “You look beautiful!” Seeing Denzel Washington’s wife and her pal, Pauletta, Bening goes over and gives her a hug and kiss.

Kerry Washington with a young fan.

In the press room, Billy Bob Thornton gestures toward the microphone manager and quips, "That's quite a pole you got there!" That's something coming from the polemaster. Thornton is super humble, looking cool and mellow wearing his shades inside. After taking home one of the fist-sized trophies, he thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press for choosing him over Better Call Saul's Bob Odenkirk.

The feeling never gets old! After nabbing the award for her role in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Sarah Paulson steps off stage and admits, “I’m shaking!” She takes a photo but is distracted when she hears more cheering. “Did the show just win?” she asks. Indeed, the hit earns a Best Limited Series and Paulson heads right back on stage.

Yours truly.

Oooooops? While posing for a picture off stage with Amy Schumer and Ryan Gosling, Goldie Hawn jokingly falls onto the hunky La La Land actor, "She fell into his nook and giggled!"

Back in the press room, Viola Davis says the night will wrap too late for her to squeeze in jacuzzi time. She report that she'll celebrate her Fences best supporting actress win with hubby and a glass of Prosecco at home.

In the press room, Nocturnal Animals best supporting actor winner Aaron Taylor-Johnson is cut off as the audio feed switches over to Ryan Gosling’s acceptance speech. Taylor-Johnson stood there awkwardly holding his award then left, but no hard feelings: "Gosling amazing!” he says.

Someone accidentally steps on Anna Kendrick’s Vionnet dress, which prompts the actress to question her decision: “Why do I wear a dress with a train? Every year I ask myself this.” After she loses, Rachel Wood heads straight for the bar outside the ballroom. Bottoms up!

HBO Invite :)

There were some good zing ers last night. Here's some of the highlights:

"The film Florence Foster Jenkins is nominated. The character has been dubbed the world’s worst opera singer and even she turned down performing at Donald Trump’s inauguration."
-Jimmy Fallon in his opening monologue

"Thank you, first of all, to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for this amazing honour. I suppose it’s made more amazing by the fact that I’ll be able to say that I won this at the last ever Golden Globes. I don’t mean to be gloomy. It’s just that it has the words ‘Hollywood,’ ‘foreign,’ and ‘press’ in the title."
-Hugh Laurie wins best supporting actor in a TV drama

"You make me proud to be an artist. You make me feel that what I have in me – my body, my face, my age – is enough."
Viola Davis introduces Meryl Streep

"Hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners, and if you kick us all out, you’ll have nothing to watch except for football and mixed martial arts, which are not arts."
-Meryl Streep picks up the Cecil B DeMille lifetime achievement award

"This is for all the women, women of color, and colorful people, whose stories, ideas and thoughts are not always considered worthy and valid and important. But I want you to know that I see you. We see you."
-Tracee Ellis Ross wins best comedy actress

"It’s not a problem. A dead bird never leaves its nest."
-John Lithgow channels Winston Churchill when he realizes his zipper is undone

"While I was singing and dancing and playing piano and having one of the best experiences I ever had on a film, my lady was raising our daughter, pregnant with our second, and trying to help her brother fight his battle with cancer. If she hadn’t taken all that on so that I could have this experience, there would surely be someone else up here other than me today. So sweetheart, thank you."
-Ryan Gosling thanks Eva Mendes in his best actor speech

"I’ve been to the Globes six times, and I’ve worn a dress every time. And I love dresses. I’m not trying to protest dresses. But I wanted to make sure that young girls and women know that they aren’t a requirement. And you don’t have to wear one if you don’t want to. And to just be yourself because your worth is more than that. So, I said, this year I’m going homage to Marlene Dietrich and Victor/Victoria and David Bowie, because it’s his birthday."
-Evan Rachel Wood on the red carpet.

The Red Carpet Gallery

Justin Timberland and Jessica Biel - the drinking couple.

Radiant in yellow: Emily Ratajkowski

Gosling: A good year to be a Ryan in Hollywood.

Ryan (Reynolds) and Blake Lively: The most beautiful couple in Hollywood.